I got back home this morning from my walk in time for the end of the love fest for Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. I guess it lasted for hours and maybe I should be thankful that I missed most of it. SSDD..same shit, different day. Tea Party/GOP members of the committee went down the yellow brick road with their Kansas references. Sec. Sebelius is the former governor of Kansas, hence the comments. But they weren't in praise of anything. I saw committee members interrupt her, while claiming that she wouldn't answer their questions. I heard nothing but contempt from these people, and it was disgusting.
I would ask the committee if the conservative members really wanted any answers at all today. And when are we going to have a hearing that grills the Tea Party/GOP in the same manner on the effects of the shutdown, and the endless obstruction they've engaged in while President Obama has been in office? Jesus..he won. Get over it.
The American people know who the troublemakers are. And if the guys don't know, women do. Women know who the culprits are. We know which members of Congress are hurting our children, our families, our financial security, our basic safety, and our constitutional protections. We know which lawmakers are more concerned with controlling women's bodies and which lawmakers follow the law and respect our privacy. We know who wants to suppress our vote. We know who kisses the collective asses of the 1% and who couldn't give a damn about the rest of us.
At least Secretary Sebelius is trying to do something positive for the country. Yes, there have been glitches. And all of that should have been fixed before its launch. All the GOP/Tea Pary have done is obstruct and lie. They would do the country a favor by simply staying home and not ruining things anymore. We're moving in a positive direction on health care that we haven't seen in a long time. I would have preferred single payer, but I know that's coming. It will be the next step in the evolution of this process. The GOP/Tea Party need to stop obstructing and be part of the forward momentum.
The Sisterhood is alive and well and we're tired of all this crap. And..we will vote..and you might not like the result. If you don't live in a state with it's own exchange, and you have to go to healthcare.gov, hang in there. This will eventually be a memory and you'll have health insurance.
And to my Sisters out there..you know what you have to do. At the end of the day, it always comes down to us anyway. We clean up messes and dry tears. And Goddess help anyone who gets in our way.
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Monday, October 28, 2013
Thoughts on A Course In Miracles..
I first discovered A Course In Miracles in the eighties. I have begun the Course many times over the years. I've heard that's not uncommon. It's a "required course" as they say, and once I heard that, I was on board. I'm nothing if not obedient. Well, sometimes.
This time, my husband is also doing the Course with me. If that's not proof that there is no order of difficulty in miracles, I don't know what is. I bought the book for our IPods and we're both listening to it and reading the text.
The thing is, so much has happened in my life that returning to the source is necessary. And that's how I view the Course. It redefines everything back to its original state. It clears up what our role and responsibility is in this world. It says:
Nothing real can be threatened
Nothing unreal exists
Herein lies the peace of God
What this says to me is that if it's not of God, it doesn't exist. It's not about our perceptions or ego. It's about living on the vertical plane, rather than the horizontal plane. The horizontal plane involves perception and ego, as well as time. Miracles collapse time and move us to the vertical plane. We only need to remember what we already know. It's as if we're in a darkened room and all we need to do is open the curtains and let the light in.
The Course tells us that our "natural inheritance" is love, and that love is "all-encompassing".
I'm going to blog about my journey, so forgive me if something offends..it's certainly not my intention. I believe that although each of us is on our own journey toward consciousness, we cannot do this alone. It's not possible. We're part of a collective consciousness that is so interrelated and interdependent that we simply cannot live without each other. We cause the separation from each other. Our journey is to understand this and embrace each other as family.
Excerpts are from A Course in Miracles, from the Foundation For Inner Peace. 1992.
This time, my husband is also doing the Course with me. If that's not proof that there is no order of difficulty in miracles, I don't know what is. I bought the book for our IPods and we're both listening to it and reading the text.
The thing is, so much has happened in my life that returning to the source is necessary. And that's how I view the Course. It redefines everything back to its original state. It clears up what our role and responsibility is in this world. It says:
Nothing real can be threatened
Nothing unreal exists
Herein lies the peace of God
What this says to me is that if it's not of God, it doesn't exist. It's not about our perceptions or ego. It's about living on the vertical plane, rather than the horizontal plane. The horizontal plane involves perception and ego, as well as time. Miracles collapse time and move us to the vertical plane. We only need to remember what we already know. It's as if we're in a darkened room and all we need to do is open the curtains and let the light in.
The Course tells us that our "natural inheritance" is love, and that love is "all-encompassing".
Miracles occur naturally as expressions of love. The real miracle is the love that inspires them. In this sense everything that comes from love is a miracle. ~ ACIM Ch 1, Sect. 1 Principles of MiraclesAnd..
Miracles are natural. When they do not occur something has gone wrong. ~ ACIM Ch 1, Sect. 1 Principles of MiraclesYep, definitely a redefinition of things.. miracles are not a spectacle and should never be viewed as such. They should not be used to create belief in others. They are an exchange of love amongst the sonship. Yes, another redefinition. The sonship refers to humanity as a whole. We can call it anything we want. The Course is Christian in similarity, and although it appears to use traditional Christian terms, it seems like it redefines Christianity in its entirety. I've never identified myself as Christian, so I'm not completely sure about that, but that's how it seems.
I'm going to blog about my journey, so forgive me if something offends..it's certainly not my intention. I believe that although each of us is on our own journey toward consciousness, we cannot do this alone. It's not possible. We're part of a collective consciousness that is so interrelated and interdependent that we simply cannot live without each other. We cause the separation from each other. Our journey is to understand this and embrace each other as family.
Excerpts are from A Course in Miracles, from the Foundation For Inner Peace. 1992.
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Who do they think they are?
When did we start fearing the police? Okay, I know that's a naive question as any person of color can and will tell you. I mean, there's always been a certain amount of fear because of who they are and not all law enforcement personnel do the right thing - stop and frisk being one such example. But something is happening these days that's different. Women, for example, are being abused by the very people who are paid to protect and serve them. I saw a video of a Chicago woman arrested for DUII, blood around her on the floor in what appeared to be a jail cell. Apparently the mental giant (or police officer if you prefer) threw her against a concrete bench in the cell. All she wanted to do was call her children. Nice guy.
Then there was the story about the women who were abused by Texas law enforcement by forcing them to have a road-side cavity search because the smell of cannabis was detected that didn't actually exist. The trainee who did the search was a woman no less. Surely her training taught her that this isn't right, even if the fact that she's a woman did not. Nevertheless, these women were abused and are now suing.
Women in Washington state apparently have to fear law enforcement there as well. I read that around two dozen women, when arrested for DUII, were forced to strip completely at the jail, while law enforcement personnel apparently filmed them. What are they doing with these videos?
Every day it seems that there's another report about law enforcement doing something we're not paying them to do. Who trains these people? The lawsuits must be getting expensive and you know they're only going to continue.
The militarization of law enforcement if particularly telling. Whether it's the DEA or local SWAT teams, it's not uncommon these days to have raids occur where people die and it's not even the correct location in the first place. The Feds don't help when they don't respect medical cannabis laws in states where this is legal. Neither does local law enforcement when they do the same.
Can we please go back to a time where things made sense? Where we could trust and rely on the police to protect us? And as far as that goes, it would be nice if our government would stay out of our lady parts as well. The whole thing is creepy.
And as for the military..who do you think you are? You honestly think you can investigate sexual assault among your own ranks? You've proven time and time again that you can't. It's time for you to step back and hang your collective heads in shame, particularly in view of the guys who have been reinstated after their convictions have been overturned by a higher ranking officer. I'd like a minute in a room alone with one of those so-called "higher ranking officers" to fully explain the error he made. I'm sure many women would like to do the same. My God..you're supposed to be defending us..not abusing us. And it's not only women who are assaulted. It's happening to men as well.
Something is very wrong here.. Things seem so backwards. We watched in horror at the beginning of this month when the Tea Party shut down the government all because they don't like the Affordable Care Act. They also don't understand the concept of the debt ceiling. Apparently it's okay to destroy the country's credit rating because the guy in the White House isn't the right color. Racism, along with other "isms", has stacked the deck against the American people and if we don't figure out what's going on and stop it, no telling what will happen to us. We must find our way back to each other and elevate our country to the lofty place it belongs. It's appropriate to care about each other. It's what we're supposed to do. The Ted Cruz's of this world have it wrong. We're better than this.
Then there was the story about the women who were abused by Texas law enforcement by forcing them to have a road-side cavity search because the smell of cannabis was detected that didn't actually exist. The trainee who did the search was a woman no less. Surely her training taught her that this isn't right, even if the fact that she's a woman did not. Nevertheless, these women were abused and are now suing.
Women in Washington state apparently have to fear law enforcement there as well. I read that around two dozen women, when arrested for DUII, were forced to strip completely at the jail, while law enforcement personnel apparently filmed them. What are they doing with these videos?
Every day it seems that there's another report about law enforcement doing something we're not paying them to do. Who trains these people? The lawsuits must be getting expensive and you know they're only going to continue.
The militarization of law enforcement if particularly telling. Whether it's the DEA or local SWAT teams, it's not uncommon these days to have raids occur where people die and it's not even the correct location in the first place. The Feds don't help when they don't respect medical cannabis laws in states where this is legal. Neither does local law enforcement when they do the same.
Can we please go back to a time where things made sense? Where we could trust and rely on the police to protect us? And as far as that goes, it would be nice if our government would stay out of our lady parts as well. The whole thing is creepy.
And as for the military..who do you think you are? You honestly think you can investigate sexual assault among your own ranks? You've proven time and time again that you can't. It's time for you to step back and hang your collective heads in shame, particularly in view of the guys who have been reinstated after their convictions have been overturned by a higher ranking officer. I'd like a minute in a room alone with one of those so-called "higher ranking officers" to fully explain the error he made. I'm sure many women would like to do the same. My God..you're supposed to be defending us..not abusing us. And it's not only women who are assaulted. It's happening to men as well.
Something is very wrong here.. Things seem so backwards. We watched in horror at the beginning of this month when the Tea Party shut down the government all because they don't like the Affordable Care Act. They also don't understand the concept of the debt ceiling. Apparently it's okay to destroy the country's credit rating because the guy in the White House isn't the right color. Racism, along with other "isms", has stacked the deck against the American people and if we don't figure out what's going on and stop it, no telling what will happen to us. We must find our way back to each other and elevate our country to the lofty place it belongs. It's appropriate to care about each other. It's what we're supposed to do. The Ted Cruz's of this world have it wrong. We're better than this.
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Legalize..just respect patients in the process..
Washington State has written their cannabis rules. Most will need legislative approval. Personal growing has been banned. Evidently this would apply to patients as well. Current law allows up to fifteen plants. Once again, legalization is accomplished at the detriment of patients. Not everyone buys their meds at a dispensary. Many of us grow our own. Oregon just decided to legalize dispensaries, which will help the existing dispensaries that started under the guise of "clubs". We voted no last time on dispensaries. But that didn't stop enterprising dispensary owners from opening businesses. Depending upon where they opened, some were harassed and raided, and some weren't. It probably would have been better to wait until they were legal, but those of us who really understand the benefits of cannabis on our health sometimes become exuberant and do things anyway. I'm not talking about drug traffickers here. Some of these dispensary owners are patients themselves. They only want to help people and have taken the risk to do so.
I have said many times that I believe in ending prohibition. It was based upon a lie anyway and countless lives have been ruined to further that lie. But to legalize at the expense of patients doesn't make sense. We don't have to make patients' lives more difficult by allowing the recreational laws to influence or apply to the medical laws. Patients use cannabis to become healthy. I know for some this seems odd. But that's why we do it. And it works! We get healthy! I'm living proof of this.
Also, current law allows patients or caregivers to possess 24 ounces of useable cannabis. The new rules would drop that amount to 3 ounces. Here's the problem with that. Many patients process their cannabis into other forms for medicating. Some make oil, tincture, or capsules to medicate with. This takes more than 3 ounces to do. Expecting this from patients doesn't make sense and could change the course of their return to health. Some patients also use raw cannabis in their diet. They include it in smoothies and juice. The health benefits of raw cannabis are only now being discovered and the news is great! I use raw leaf and small buds in my morning smoothies. Ingestion in some form is typically more effective than smoking for many conditions. Using raw cannabis, for example, doesn't even result in a high. And now growers are creating varieties that are higher in CBD and lower in THC which will also have less of a high. Tinctures made from high CBD varieties are what parents are giving to their kids with constant and severe seizures. It stops them. (Watch Sanjay's special) Smoking or vaporizing is optimum for some kinds of pain as well as muscle cramps. It's great when you need to relax and to clear your mind of troublesome thinking as many survivors of PTSD have discovered. And yes, you'll get high from that. And you'll feel better. Trust me on this. I'm a survivor and cannabis has helped calm my mind without the resulting side effects of an anti-depressant.
The point is, patients figure out what works for them and then they get well. Colorado left patients alone. I hope Oregon does as well when we legalize. I know letting go of long-held beliefs is at the bottom of these decisions. Sanjay Gupta's special aside, people still believe in the whole "reefer madness" propaganda. It's not easy to suddenly believe that cannabis is a safe plant that should be available to everyone.
But as we legalize, please leave patients alone. In the mean time, we need to reschedule cannabis federally so that research can begin in earnest. We did this in Oregon and rescheduled from Schedule 1 to Schedule 2. Cannabis is a safe plant and should be scheduled even further down the list, if not removed completely. Stop trying to control something that is a personal decision. I still use Humira for my RA, but cannabis is what put my disease into clinical remission. I was so ill for so long that it may take time to discontinue the Humira. I also take Sulfasalazine, although it's been reduced by half. It would be nice to only take that one. The Humira scares me. I was also able to discontinue the anti-inflammatory drug, the narcotic, both blood pressure pills, and I'm down to 1 Metformin, which is also ending soon. This would have not happened without cannabis. I have no problem with western medicine. I just wish medical schools also included natural medicines in their curriculum. My medical experience has been lop-sided and would have been richer if I could have had meaningful conversations with my doctors about all forms of medicating. They shouldn't have to fear losing their medical license for talking to me about cannabis. So I don't tell them. And that's sad. It's not what I want.
Prohibition must end. Simple as that. No one needs to freak out about it. States with existing medical cannabis laws must either leave them alone or make them better. States without medical cannabis laws need to enact them. And for pity's sake, keep the pharmaceutical companies out of this. It's the whole plant that heals. Not an unreasonable facsimile of, which is what these pill factories pump out. If what they produce isn't what we do in our kitchens, then it's not medicine. Sorry about that. A guy in front of a booth at Hempfest this year stopped me and try to sell me some cannabis oil. I thanked him and said I make my own. And you know what? He got a really odd look on his face. And it didn't seem like he was puzzled. It seemed like he understood what I was saying.
States should take a lesson from my experience at Hempfest and never underestimate the empowered patient. Because guess what else we are? Voters. Yes, we vote, among other things like raising families, holding down jobs, and helping our communities understand the truth about this wonderful plant. We're chatty like that..
Legalize..just respect patients in the process.
I have said many times that I believe in ending prohibition. It was based upon a lie anyway and countless lives have been ruined to further that lie. But to legalize at the expense of patients doesn't make sense. We don't have to make patients' lives more difficult by allowing the recreational laws to influence or apply to the medical laws. Patients use cannabis to become healthy. I know for some this seems odd. But that's why we do it. And it works! We get healthy! I'm living proof of this.
Also, current law allows patients or caregivers to possess 24 ounces of useable cannabis. The new rules would drop that amount to 3 ounces. Here's the problem with that. Many patients process their cannabis into other forms for medicating. Some make oil, tincture, or capsules to medicate with. This takes more than 3 ounces to do. Expecting this from patients doesn't make sense and could change the course of their return to health. Some patients also use raw cannabis in their diet. They include it in smoothies and juice. The health benefits of raw cannabis are only now being discovered and the news is great! I use raw leaf and small buds in my morning smoothies. Ingestion in some form is typically more effective than smoking for many conditions. Using raw cannabis, for example, doesn't even result in a high. And now growers are creating varieties that are higher in CBD and lower in THC which will also have less of a high. Tinctures made from high CBD varieties are what parents are giving to their kids with constant and severe seizures. It stops them. (Watch Sanjay's special) Smoking or vaporizing is optimum for some kinds of pain as well as muscle cramps. It's great when you need to relax and to clear your mind of troublesome thinking as many survivors of PTSD have discovered. And yes, you'll get high from that. And you'll feel better. Trust me on this. I'm a survivor and cannabis has helped calm my mind without the resulting side effects of an anti-depressant.
The point is, patients figure out what works for them and then they get well. Colorado left patients alone. I hope Oregon does as well when we legalize. I know letting go of long-held beliefs is at the bottom of these decisions. Sanjay Gupta's special aside, people still believe in the whole "reefer madness" propaganda. It's not easy to suddenly believe that cannabis is a safe plant that should be available to everyone.
But as we legalize, please leave patients alone. In the mean time, we need to reschedule cannabis federally so that research can begin in earnest. We did this in Oregon and rescheduled from Schedule 1 to Schedule 2. Cannabis is a safe plant and should be scheduled even further down the list, if not removed completely. Stop trying to control something that is a personal decision. I still use Humira for my RA, but cannabis is what put my disease into clinical remission. I was so ill for so long that it may take time to discontinue the Humira. I also take Sulfasalazine, although it's been reduced by half. It would be nice to only take that one. The Humira scares me. I was also able to discontinue the anti-inflammatory drug, the narcotic, both blood pressure pills, and I'm down to 1 Metformin, which is also ending soon. This would have not happened without cannabis. I have no problem with western medicine. I just wish medical schools also included natural medicines in their curriculum. My medical experience has been lop-sided and would have been richer if I could have had meaningful conversations with my doctors about all forms of medicating. They shouldn't have to fear losing their medical license for talking to me about cannabis. So I don't tell them. And that's sad. It's not what I want.
Prohibition must end. Simple as that. No one needs to freak out about it. States with existing medical cannabis laws must either leave them alone or make them better. States without medical cannabis laws need to enact them. And for pity's sake, keep the pharmaceutical companies out of this. It's the whole plant that heals. Not an unreasonable facsimile of, which is what these pill factories pump out. If what they produce isn't what we do in our kitchens, then it's not medicine. Sorry about that. A guy in front of a booth at Hempfest this year stopped me and try to sell me some cannabis oil. I thanked him and said I make my own. And you know what? He got a really odd look on his face. And it didn't seem like he was puzzled. It seemed like he understood what I was saying.
States should take a lesson from my experience at Hempfest and never underestimate the empowered patient. Because guess what else we are? Voters. Yes, we vote, among other things like raising families, holding down jobs, and helping our communities understand the truth about this wonderful plant. We're chatty like that..
Legalize..just respect patients in the process.
Monday, October 21, 2013
Keep Calm and #GetCovered!
Healthcare.gov is having some glitches. Did anyone think this wouldn't happen? It's software, people. Yes, it would have been better if the glitches didn't happen, but as I said, it's software. When in our lives has this not happened? And of course, the Tea Party and its cohorts are jumping on the "fire her" bandwagon and are going after Kathleen Sebelius. I hope she doesn't get fired because the website will be fixed and people will get health insurance.
And yet the GOP/Tea Party continues to lie about the non-existent death panels, socialized medicine, and the destruction of small business during the process of covering people with health insurance. Glitches aside, these people simply don't want people to have low-cost health insurance. They call themselves Christian, yet they lack the simple compassion that Jesus embodied toward everyone. Giving people access to affordable health insurance is not a socialist concept. It's a Christian concept..at least in the way I understand Christianity. Isn't it time we actually had insurance that covered our health without worrying about whether or not it will continue to cover our ailments as we get older? Why on earth do these people think this is a bad thing?
Look, I know computers can be irritating. Unbeknownst to me, Facebook was down today. I didn't see it, but I understand how easy it is to have terroristic thoughts about computer-related anything. And that's all I'm going to say about that. ;-)
If you've ever been without health insurance, as I have, it's not easy. We had to sell our truck to pay off our youngest because he was our out of pocket C-section baby. The first was too, but we had insurance for him. I made monthly payments after he was born, and when we were down to the last $400 owing on our little darling, we sold the truck. I didn't like the truck anyway, but we have property and we could have used it.
One thing that I haven't seen mentioned is dental insurance. I would hope they included it but I bet they didn't. At some point, we have to understand the connection between our health and our teeth. So if dental insurance isn't covered, it needs to be. We went without dental insurance for so many years, I could only take the boys to the dentist once a year instead of twice for cleanings. The oldest had braces and I paid $90 per month for years to pay that off. I had to change dentists when the dental technician basically called me an unfit mother when she found out that we couldn't afford twice yearly cleanings. I was so glad when we finally got dental insurance. Not every job we had offered it. Eventually the VA offered it and we jumped at it. It's not the best, but it's better than nothing.
So don't listen to the GOP or their insane Tea Party faction. They don't care about you. No clue who or what they care about, but it isn't you. Or me. You don't have to go online to sign up. You can also call and sign up.
We have a chance here to do something great for this country. We have a chance for things to get better from here. We've seen how bad it can get when lunatics are let loose in our government to do as they please. It's hilarious when they say that they need to take back their country. I suggest they go find some other country to take back, because they're not getting this one!
Keep calm and #GetCovered!
Update: here's the phone number
1-800-318-2596
And yet the GOP/Tea Party continues to lie about the non-existent death panels, socialized medicine, and the destruction of small business during the process of covering people with health insurance. Glitches aside, these people simply don't want people to have low-cost health insurance. They call themselves Christian, yet they lack the simple compassion that Jesus embodied toward everyone. Giving people access to affordable health insurance is not a socialist concept. It's a Christian concept..at least in the way I understand Christianity. Isn't it time we actually had insurance that covered our health without worrying about whether or not it will continue to cover our ailments as we get older? Why on earth do these people think this is a bad thing?
Look, I know computers can be irritating. Unbeknownst to me, Facebook was down today. I didn't see it, but I understand how easy it is to have terroristic thoughts about computer-related anything. And that's all I'm going to say about that. ;-)
If you've ever been without health insurance, as I have, it's not easy. We had to sell our truck to pay off our youngest because he was our out of pocket C-section baby. The first was too, but we had insurance for him. I made monthly payments after he was born, and when we were down to the last $400 owing on our little darling, we sold the truck. I didn't like the truck anyway, but we have property and we could have used it.
One thing that I haven't seen mentioned is dental insurance. I would hope they included it but I bet they didn't. At some point, we have to understand the connection between our health and our teeth. So if dental insurance isn't covered, it needs to be. We went without dental insurance for so many years, I could only take the boys to the dentist once a year instead of twice for cleanings. The oldest had braces and I paid $90 per month for years to pay that off. I had to change dentists when the dental technician basically called me an unfit mother when she found out that we couldn't afford twice yearly cleanings. I was so glad when we finally got dental insurance. Not every job we had offered it. Eventually the VA offered it and we jumped at it. It's not the best, but it's better than nothing.
So don't listen to the GOP or their insane Tea Party faction. They don't care about you. No clue who or what they care about, but it isn't you. Or me. You don't have to go online to sign up. You can also call and sign up.
We have a chance here to do something great for this country. We have a chance for things to get better from here. We've seen how bad it can get when lunatics are let loose in our government to do as they please. It's hilarious when they say that they need to take back their country. I suggest they go find some other country to take back, because they're not getting this one!
Keep calm and #GetCovered!
Update: here's the phone number
1-800-318-2596
Friday, October 11, 2013
Does the Tea Party understand what we owe our veterans?
A few days ago I wrote a post about the Republican party not being a friend to veterans. Apologies if I repeat myself, but clearly the GOP and its Tea Party puppet masters don't give a rat's ass about veterans, their families, or, for that matter, active duty personnel and their families. The checks went out on October 1st. If the shutdown goes on much longer, no one eats next month, or pays their rent, or their car payment, or anything else. The surreal nature of this leaves me searching for the right words..you know, words that are calm and not vulgar. Because I really don't understand how a small group of people could do this and not face arrest and imprisonment. The shutdown and the potential default on our debt ceiling (which none of them apparently understands) is not something we should ever face as a country. Too much is riding on things functioning properly.
Anyway, here's the promise we make to people who defend us. If you defend us, we will take care of you and yours. It's that simple. As I've said before, my husband is a disabled veteran. As this is now our only source of income, it's going to be interesting to see what happens. I've already made minimum payments this month on bills I typically pay more on. We're trying to limit our grocery shopping in the event that this month's money needs to stretch into next month. Both our boys are adults, live elsewhere, and are employed in non-governmental jobs so there's that. We have only the two of us to be concerned about and we'll be okay. We tend to live simply so we're somewhat used to austerity. It just feels better when it's self-imposed instead of nut job-imposed.
But not everyone will be okay. Most people live from paycheck to paycheck and that includes disabled veterans and their families. We cannot allow a small faction of Congress to tie the country up in knots with their insane ideology. And it doesn't really matter if it's veterans were talking about, or if it's WIC moms. People are already being hurt right now by the behavior of these imbeciles. Everything just stops without money to pay for it. If we let the shutdown continue the casualties will be massive.
Here's the thing.. When you make a promise to people who defend us, you have to follow through on that promise. It's been difficult enough for service members returning home to the economy we have, but if they're wounded, the backlog to even get started with the VA is horrible. And when you factor in the notion that we went to war on a lie, then the lives either damaged or lost make it so much more critical to not abandon them this way.
The Tea Party Republicans must stop this insanity, grow up, and reopen the government. Then they need to resign and go home in disgrace.
Anyway, here's the promise we make to people who defend us. If you defend us, we will take care of you and yours. It's that simple. As I've said before, my husband is a disabled veteran. As this is now our only source of income, it's going to be interesting to see what happens. I've already made minimum payments this month on bills I typically pay more on. We're trying to limit our grocery shopping in the event that this month's money needs to stretch into next month. Both our boys are adults, live elsewhere, and are employed in non-governmental jobs so there's that. We have only the two of us to be concerned about and we'll be okay. We tend to live simply so we're somewhat used to austerity. It just feels better when it's self-imposed instead of nut job-imposed.
But not everyone will be okay. Most people live from paycheck to paycheck and that includes disabled veterans and their families. We cannot allow a small faction of Congress to tie the country up in knots with their insane ideology. And it doesn't really matter if it's veterans were talking about, or if it's WIC moms. People are already being hurt right now by the behavior of these imbeciles. Everything just stops without money to pay for it. If we let the shutdown continue the casualties will be massive.
Here's the thing.. When you make a promise to people who defend us, you have to follow through on that promise. It's been difficult enough for service members returning home to the economy we have, but if they're wounded, the backlog to even get started with the VA is horrible. And when you factor in the notion that we went to war on a lie, then the lives either damaged or lost make it so much more critical to not abandon them this way.
The Tea Party Republicans must stop this insanity, grow up, and reopen the government. Then they need to resign and go home in disgrace.
Friday, October 4, 2013
Stop comparing the Affordable Care Act to sexual assault.
Bill O'Reilly compared Obamacare to a vicious motorcycle gang coming after your daughter. The brothers Koch sponsored an anti-Obamacare ad that depicts an over-sized Uncle Sam with a speculum in hand, ready to do untold things to the college girl on the table. GOP governors are signing transvaginal ultrasound bills into law, because after all..freedom. They're also trying to circumvent a woman's constitutional right to have an abortion if she chooses.
WHAT'S WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE?????
As a survivor of sexual assault, I take issue with these derelicts who equate anything that isn't sexual assault with anything that is. I'll be 56 in a few days. I live with what my father did every day of my life. It has controlled everything about me. In many ways it ruined my chance of ever having a normal life. But then, I don't know what normal looks like anyway. Now that he's dead, you'd think I could move on. But it doesn't work that way. These days, I take it a day at a time, sometimes a minute at a time. Because life goes on and you have to deal with all of it.
We need to be so careful when we compare one thing to another. Pennsylvania's Governor just compared gay marriage to incest. Trust me when I say that it's not. This idiot needs to be thrown out of office. Would he like me to explain the difference? Would he like details? Because if an incest survivor knows the difference between that and two gay people getting married and the Governor of Pennsylvania doesn't, then he shouldn't be allowed to govern anyone.
Go visit that Sandusky guy in jail. That's what a predator looks like. It's not the Affordable Care Act. The only predators there are the ones who are lying about it. You have to ask yourself, why? Why would anyone want people to suffer without health insurance? What's in it for them? Is it money? Is it power and control? Honestly, I don't care what it is. I just want it to stop. Life is tough enough. When lawmakers in Congress lie about our new health care law, all they do is hurt the very people who need it the most. This should be a criminal act. They should be arrested, prosecuted, and then thrown in prison. You don't lie to the American people about anything, but certainly not about a law that can actually enhance and protect their lives.
And for the love of all that is holy, stop stressing out survivors with this crap. We have enough to deal with. And there's a whole bunch of us out here. And guess what else.. We're consumers and voters. We can stop buying all kinds of things, stop watching all kinds of channels, begin voting for better legislators.
Yes. We. Can.
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Veterans: Republicans are not your friends..
Wouldn't you know that Bachmann and company would take advantage of veterans trying to visit a WWII memorial yesterday. How craven are these people? Well, after shutting down the government, these idiots helped these folks break in to the monument, blaming the President for its closure. They're what I like to call, wrong.
I've been married to a disabled veteran for 34 years. In the early years, the VA couldn't seem to figure out that his wife and children (me and our boys) qualified for health care benefits. It eventually got straightened out, but our first child was paid for with insurance from a job, and our second child was paid for monthly because we had no insurance. We sold our truck to pay the last $400 we owed. Both were c-sections so this was expensive. It's so much easier these days to get somewhere with them, but we're in the system now. For new veterans and their families, this government shutdown only makes new claims take longer and in view of the existing backlog, to affect these folks this way is criminal. To blame the President is ridiculous.
When the Bush administration lied the country into war with Iraq, Rummy said, you go to war with the military you have, not the military you want. It would have been nice to go to war with the administration we elected too..you know the Gore administration. But then I wonder if Al Gore would have ever taken us into war with Iraq. Something tells me had he actually be allowed to serve as President, we'd be in a much different place now. Instead, George Bush sent our troops into harms way without body armor. I even remember reading that parents were being asked to send stuff to their family members serving that the government should have been providing. I had no problem going into Afghanistan, although I think it should have been a Special Forces deal. We never needed to engage in either place the way that we did. Remember who did this. Remember who sent your children to die without protection.
Remember that it's the Tea Party Republicans along with their actual Republican counterparts who have advanced the war on women, children, seniors, poor people, you name it. Don't cheer when they use you to put the blame for their own shenanigans on the President. Because that's what they're doing..using veterans to promote their lie. Don't allow yourselves to be manipulated by these people. They couldn't care less about you. You were a means to an end for them. They don't understand the sacrifice you made for all of us. If they did, they would have never let this shutdown happen. Even for no other reason, couldn't they have thought about all the new veterans trying to get their disability claims processed? What about all the vets and active military personnel on food stamps? What about all the vets who are homeless? If we had never gone into Iraq, we wouldn't have this backlog, and oh my goodness..maybe family members would be alive and intact instead of what people are coping with now.
And what does the Tea Party do? They say thank you to veterans and active duty military personnel by shutting down the government just so that we don't have the Affordable Care Act. They hold us hostage. They hold you hostage. Of course the ACA went into effect yesterday anyway. All of this is for nothing. But its effect will be long lasting.
When you go to war, you never do this lightly. These wars may make a bunch of Bush's cronies lots of money, but it's destroyed so many lives. And when a small faction of people can destroy the country further because they have no clue how to properly govern, instead punishing the country with their radical ideology, we all need to stand up against them. What we don't do is cheer them on when they act like idiots.
Understand who the enemy is because they are among us.
I've been married to a disabled veteran for 34 years. In the early years, the VA couldn't seem to figure out that his wife and children (me and our boys) qualified for health care benefits. It eventually got straightened out, but our first child was paid for with insurance from a job, and our second child was paid for monthly because we had no insurance. We sold our truck to pay the last $400 we owed. Both were c-sections so this was expensive. It's so much easier these days to get somewhere with them, but we're in the system now. For new veterans and their families, this government shutdown only makes new claims take longer and in view of the existing backlog, to affect these folks this way is criminal. To blame the President is ridiculous.
When the Bush administration lied the country into war with Iraq, Rummy said, you go to war with the military you have, not the military you want. It would have been nice to go to war with the administration we elected too..you know the Gore administration. But then I wonder if Al Gore would have ever taken us into war with Iraq. Something tells me had he actually be allowed to serve as President, we'd be in a much different place now. Instead, George Bush sent our troops into harms way without body armor. I even remember reading that parents were being asked to send stuff to their family members serving that the government should have been providing. I had no problem going into Afghanistan, although I think it should have been a Special Forces deal. We never needed to engage in either place the way that we did. Remember who did this. Remember who sent your children to die without protection.
Remember that it's the Tea Party Republicans along with their actual Republican counterparts who have advanced the war on women, children, seniors, poor people, you name it. Don't cheer when they use you to put the blame for their own shenanigans on the President. Because that's what they're doing..using veterans to promote their lie. Don't allow yourselves to be manipulated by these people. They couldn't care less about you. You were a means to an end for them. They don't understand the sacrifice you made for all of us. If they did, they would have never let this shutdown happen. Even for no other reason, couldn't they have thought about all the new veterans trying to get their disability claims processed? What about all the vets and active military personnel on food stamps? What about all the vets who are homeless? If we had never gone into Iraq, we wouldn't have this backlog, and oh my goodness..maybe family members would be alive and intact instead of what people are coping with now.
And what does the Tea Party do? They say thank you to veterans and active duty military personnel by shutting down the government just so that we don't have the Affordable Care Act. They hold us hostage. They hold you hostage. Of course the ACA went into effect yesterday anyway. All of this is for nothing. But its effect will be long lasting.
When you go to war, you never do this lightly. These wars may make a bunch of Bush's cronies lots of money, but it's destroyed so many lives. And when a small faction of people can destroy the country further because they have no clue how to properly govern, instead punishing the country with their radical ideology, we all need to stand up against them. What we don't do is cheer them on when they act like idiots.
Understand who the enemy is because they are among us.
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